Four Guardians stood before the Speaker, eagerly awaiting their next assignment, yearning for a chance to get out of the Tower and retake what was lost during the Collapse.
"Guardians. A great evil has awakened under the moon once again. Crota, the son of Oryx, has arisen once more. His agents seek to rally his forces and take Earth." He stated solemnly. "As you know, we mustered a force of guardians before, in an attempt to retake the moon from his legions. But it was not meant to be, for his might was too much. Under his sword fell hundreds of guardians. We abandoned the moon rather than face him." He turned face the assembled guardians, a Titan, one Hunter, and a pair of Warlocks. "Thanks to a team dispatched in the moon, we were able to strike down Crota's soul and weaken him. The time to strike is now, while he is weak. But I must warn you. We have sent squads before you, and of all the guardians we have sent, only one has returned, and he stands among you: Clay-19. He is eager to return to finish the job."
The Exo Hunter kept his arms crossed and simply grunted. He wore armor that resemble the chitinous armor that the Hive seemed to favor. Upon his chest sat a rare Lucky Raspberry chestpiece.
"He knows how to reach Crota, and with your help can perhaps put an end to the menace once and for all. I will await eagerly for your return guardians. Armor up, and keep your light safe."
Making their way down the stairs, they made introductions. The lumbering titan too, was an Exo, by the name of Dylan-10. His armor looked to be heavy, yet he walked in it with ease. His broad shoulders and arms were covered by Ruin Wings, one of the few sets made. He had a rather cheery attitude for someone about to face impossible odds. He extended his heavy gauntleted hand,"Name's Dylan-10. I just go by Dylan," Clay-19 simply shook his hand and started to turn to continue but Dylan added on,"I can see you're the strong silent type. Just gonna throw this out there, but in a fire team, communication is key, so..?"
Clay-19 stopped and turned around, stating,"Just do what I say, and try not to die. There was a human Titan in my last squad. Idiot wouldn't listen to simple directions and got mauled by thralls. I forget his name. Doesn't matter. What about you two?" He inquired, turning to face the Warlocks. Both were Awoken, but not of the Reef. The one closer, took a step forward. He was clad in turquoise robes, and wore what appeared to be an Apotheosis Veil helmet, something Clay-19 understood to be quite a useful helm. On his upper arm rested a Warlock Bond, with the holographic visage of a feathery dragon of sorts.
"The name's Skyler. And I see you admiring my bond. Its from mythology, the Dragon God Quatzequatel."
Clay-19 just looked back up at him, not knowing what to make of the remark. He turned to the last party member. Another Warlock, garbed from head to toe in black robes and armor. Upon his head sat an Obsidian Helm, yet another rarity among guardian armors. He stepped forward and shook hands, stating,"Just call him Otal. We all do," upon hearing that remark, he heard Skyler let out a sigh of frustration,"My name's Rajan. Or Raj for short."
"So what are all of your guys' qualifications? I took a team of 6 last time and they all died. What makes you so sure four men can do the job?" Asked Clay-19.
Raj stepped forward and stated,"Otal and I are well versed as Warlocks. While others struggle to cast nova bombs, we have seen a glimpse of the Traveler's powers. Should we fall, we can rise again, as a Phoenix would from the ashes. We-" He was suddenly cut off by Otal, who chimed in,"As if that wasn't enough, our sunburst grenades can light even the darkest of areas. Don't even get me started on our nova bombs. Thanks to our abilities, we can even recover from the gravest of wounds in seconds!" He finished with a hint of self satisfaction. Raj just looked over at him and slowly shook his head and continued on.
"Dylan-10 can level a building with his Fist of Havoc, more powerful than any I've seen before. And trust me. I've seen him single handedly fell a Cabal Goliath with it. As well as boasting offensive capabilities, he is also one of the few who can cast a Ward of Dawn shield that increases our weapon's damage output exponentially. We are ready, Clay, fret not. I must go and gather my weapons and ammunition. I suggest you all do the same before we depart." He turned to leave, but was stopped when a hand grasped his shoulder. He turned around and Clay-19 asked the three of them,"Before we go. One question. Have any of you been given the legendary Gjallarhorn by Shaxx? It was given to those who fought in the Twilight Gap."
Dylan nodded his head. As did Rajan. Otal, however was not as fortunate.
"I don't have Gjallarhorn, but I managed to get my hands on a Dragon's Breath. Will that suffice?" He asked.
"Oh it'll do the job. Just don't miss, otherwise," he shrugged,"you'll probably die." Turning around he walked off towards the hangar. A timer appeared on the heads up displays inside their helmets, indicating they have until sunrise the next morning, leaving them 9 hours to rest and prepare.
Dylan-10 went home, and readied his weapons, polished his armor, and packed his rucksack with as much heavy ammo as he possibly could. Can't wait to see how much blood I get on it this time. He laughed to himself. He turned to his punching bag, or rather, his fourth one that week.
Clay-19 calibrated the scopes on his weapons to match with his helmet, insuring he'd have unparalleled accuracy in the battles to come. After that he took out his whetstone and began to sharpen all his knives. He left some in the dark below. Perhaps he would have a chance to recover them.
Skyler polished his weapons to a sheen and read up on previous mission reports from the teams that went before them, while scarfing down about forty glimmer worth of human ramen, something he considered a delicacy.
Rajan read up on the reports, then walked to his weapons wall, and brought down his mighty Gjallarhorn. The weapon of destruction had homing rockets that broke into homing clusters upon impact. He held out his hand, and a small flame appeared. He whipped his arm to the right and the small flame materialized into a soccer ball sized fireball, and impacted upon a charred target board. It was getting late.
They all needed to get as much rest as they could. For after all, they were going to kill a God.
